Ceila Morgan, News Editor Radio

The Ministry of Health is now reviewing the contract of a senior medical doctor at the National Chest Hospital in St Andrew, following several complaints by other doctors and patients at the institution.

Dr Dennis Pyne, a consultant vascular thoracic surgeon who has been registered with the Medical Council of Jamaica since August 8, 1971, is at the centre of the complaints.

The health ministry is to make known the findings of his contract review by Friday.

Some doctors who spoke with The Gleaner/Power 106 News Centre had complained that the senior surgeon was charging patients for services at the public health institution, even though the ministry had abolished user fees since April 1.

In addition, they expressed concern about the level of treatment meted out to some patients who, they said, were forced to pay for their surgical procedures.

When contacted, Pyne declined to comment on the issue.

Following an emergency meeting involving Pyne and health officials yesterday, Health Minister Rudyard Spencer announced that the senior medical officer at the National Chest Hospital, Dr Mikael Tulloch-Reid, who is currently on leave, was not seeking to have his contract renewed.

Request for early retirement

Senior Medical Officer at the Kingston Public Hospital, Dr Patrick Bhoorasingh, is to assume responsibility for the operations at the institution. In addition, Spencer said the ministry was considering a request for early retirement by Hazel Waite, the chief executive officer at the National Chest Hospital.

Regarding complaints about the use of hospital equipment for private use, Pyne, the hospital's chief executive officer and the executive of the South East Regional Health Authority are to determine by way of invoices the ownership of the devices.

Restricted access

Charging that the health ministry was determined to see its user fee-abolition programme sustained, Spencer further announced that, effective immediately, private practice by doctors would no longer be allowed at the National Chest Hospital.

"Anyone who is caught charging public patients any money for hospital care is going to feel the full brunt of the law," he warned during a press conference at the ministry's downtown Kingston offices yesterday.

"We are not going to allow a few greedy doctors to put this thing into disrepute."

ceila.morgan@gleanerjm.com